


Cherish

by Qwerty_Hargreeves_25



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Cuddling, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Safe Space, Sweet, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-11 21:04:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20160073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qwerty_Hargreeves_25/pseuds/Qwerty_Hargreeves_25
Summary: And maybe it wasn't perfect.Maybe perfect was a pipe dream. An impossible ideal, something that was never actually achievable because nothing was never actually that simple.But it didn't matter.It didn't matter because he was here. He was warm and safe wrapped in the comfort of his safest place.





	Cherish

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dirty_Corza](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dirty_Corza/gifts).

> To Corza. Thanks for becoming my Diego. ❤️

The sun slanted through the cracks in the blinds, highlighting swirling whorls of dust in the late golden sunlight of a autumn's afternoon.

Outside. Outside it was too cold. Too hot. Too loud. To bright. 

Outside it was too much. 

But here. Here tucked away, surrounded by the thick and fluffy down of his comforter, Ben was at peace. 

It was quiet here. The blanket a beautifully thick wall, a physical protection against the harshness of the reality of the outside world. 

Ben had never quite gotten over not being dead. 

But here. 

But here everything was soft. Everything was still. Everything was… perfect. It was perfect. 

And maybe it wasn't perfect. 

Maybe perfect was a pipe dream. An impossible ideal, something that was never actually achievable because nothing was never actually that simple. 

But it didn't matter. 

It didn't matter because he was here. He was warm and safe wrapped in the comfort of his safest place. 

A blissful cocoon. 

Silent except for the soft breath of Diego across from him. 

Slow and deep. Even. 

The sound of Diego, Diego's  _ life _ . His  _ presence _ . 

It could have been too much. It should have been too much. 

This was his safe space. His quiet space. 

The idea of having anyone else there- anyone at all, even klaus who was his more or less constant companion even still today- was claustrophobic. Too much. Overwhelming. 

But. 

Butbutbut. 

Diego. 

Diego. 

Diego whose fingers he could lose hours fantasizing about. 

Diego who made him feel seen. Made him feel real in a way that no one else did. 

Not even Klaus. 

Diego who wasn't just welcome in his quiet place, but desired. Needed, sometimes. 

And didn't join him nearly enough. 

A hint of silver at his collar. A chain. 

A ring. 

A ring that Ben had given him, a hundred years and a lifetime ago. 

A lifetime, and a death, and then more life after that, ago. 

Diego… Diego hasn't taken it off. Hadn't taken it off in years, from the look of the chain. 

A worthless ring. 

Junk. 

Trash, in all except the value put on it by two people who decided that it was worth something, once. 

A value that money can't even begin to quantify. 

And still. Still, there it was. 

Silent. 

Present. 

Always present. 

Ben didn't know if Diego wore the ring because he liked it. Or if he liked the ring because of what it meant. Or if it was some other reason. Some vague sense of obligation or sentiment. 

Ben didn't know what to hope for. So he didn't. 

He didn't know the reason that Diego chose to wear the ring. He just knew how it made him feel. 

A choice. A mark. Proof that maybe, just maybe all of his memories weren't just in his head. That they were real. 

That they meant something. 

Ben wasn't even sure that he had understood what it meant,what it would mean, when he had handed the thin silver band over. 

A ring on a chain, close to Diego’s heart. 

A cheap ring. 

Kept. Appreciated. Cherished. 

Ben wanted so bad to be cherished. 

Sliding closer, Ben listened closely for any hint that Diego had woken up. 

That he could hear.

That he might know. 

Nothing. 

Nothing and nothing and nothing again as Ben hooked a finger around the loop of the necklace. 

A gentle tug. That's all it needed. And then it was slipping free, spilling forth to shine in the light, twinkling softly in the palm of his hand. 

A ring. 

A cheap ring. 

Worthless. 

Ben marveled as he stared at it, the metal cool and smooth between his fingers. 

And then. 

And then before he could think about it. Before Ben could imagine the consequences, before he could talk himself out of it. 

Then. 

Ben slipped it between his lips. 

The metal, cool and bright against his tongue as it traced across the rivets holding the stones to the metal. Going around and around the band, as he sucked gently at the ring. 

(Trying to keep his mind blank as he rested his head on Diego's chest. Trying to ignore the images of maybe, maybe, maybe, Diego doing the same. Once upon a time. A hundred years ago.)

(Yesterday.)

The steady rhythm of Diego’s heart, slow and steady. 

A perfect metronome in his ear. 

Ben closed his eyes. Let the feelings surround him. Let them drown him out. Quiet the screaming in the back of his mind until it was quiet. 

Until it was still. 

Until the sound of Diego’s heartbeat was all he could hear. All he needed. 

All he ever wanted. 

And then, then he let himself drift, slowly into sleep. 

And it was perfect. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this soft little ficlet! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think!! A review is worth everything to me. ❤️❤️My hobby isn't writing. My hobby is being told that I made people's day a little bit better. Please feed me.
> 
> Lots of love!! 😘


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